Sixers reportedly expressing interest in Lou Williams

With the trade deadline just under a week away, rumors and talks are bound to begin swirling more and more in the coming days. For the Philadelphia 76ers, they could use some upgrades to their bench as depth has been an issue for them, but Bryan Colangelo is reluctant to part ways with a first-round pick in order to acquire said depth. Earlier in the week, a report surfaced that the Sixers are one team interested in Chester, PA native Tyreke Evans. Michael Scotto of The Athletic reports that Philadelphia has also expressed interest in veteran Clippers guard Lou Williams, a guy who many Sixers fans have wanted to return to the City of Brotherly Love.

Like Tyreke Evans, Williams is in the final year of his contract. Unlike Evans, Lou's team is still in the playoff hunt in the Western Conference as the Clippers (25-25) currently sit one game outside the eighth seed after trading Blake Griffin to the Pistons. Since L.A. is still on the brink of playoff contention, it remains to be seen whether or not they'd be willing to part with Williams just yet. Scotto goes on to write that the Clippers are unsure if Williams is a long-term piece for them, despite the 31-year-old veteran preferring to stay put in L.A. moving forward.

In 49 games for the Clippers this season, Lou Williams is averaging 23.5 points and 5.2 assists, shooting 44.3 percent from the floor and 39 percent from beyond the arc. He had a very impressive month of January, averaging 28.2 points and 6.3 assists in 15 games, seven of which were starts. The Sixers drafted Williams out of high school during the second round of the 2005 NBA Draft. He played 455 games over seven seasons in Philadelphia before signing a free agent deal with the Atlanta Hawks prior to the 2012-13 season.

It's clear that Williams' shooting would certainly solve a big part of the Sixers' depth problems, but at the same time it depends on what Los Angeles is looking for in exchange. If Bryan Colangelo stands his ground about not wanting to surrender a first-round pick, he'll probably have to package a young bench player or two along with a second-round pick to even get the Clippers front office to listen.

Brandon Apter is a contributor to 97.3 ESPN and managing editor at SportsTalkPhilly.com. Follow him on Twitter @bapter23.